Unbreakable Bond, Unbreakable Sword
by Code Live
Summary: Kris has gotten a sword, but who is it from? And what is the crafter's intention? Katarina x Kris fanfic
1. Kataris

**Alright, this is different from what I usually write. I usually release long stories, chapter after chapter. But now, it's just going to be one story, done.**

 **Also, I do not own New Mystery of the Emblem. However, this is set after the War of Shadows.**

* * *

Kris walked around the halls of Marth's castle. He brandished his sword, looking for any suspicious-looking figures in the shadows. With the war done, he was now one of Marth's bodyguards, guarding the area around his room.

As he looked at a mirror, it flipped out and a figure pounced on him. "Surprise!"

Kris was knocked to the ground, and saw Luke on him. "Gotcha, Kris! Haha!"

Groaning, Kris pushed Luke off. With that, he stood up. "Oh, Luke, just in time! It's your turn for patrol. Good night!"

Luke laughed. "Ey Kris! How did it feel like to have me on you?"

"Luke, that sounds kinda gay to me. Not that there's a problem with that..."

Luke pouted. "Kris, you're no fun."

"Well, then, get to patrol. Just remember next one's Roderick! Otherwise, having you walking around sleeplessly is pretty much your own problem!"

Kris went to his room. He saw delivery, which consisted of a few weapons. He took the first sword, and swung it at a dummy. The sword cut through it with ease. Kris then tested it on a granite block.

The sword broke as soon as it made contact with the stone. Kris sighed. He went to the royal blacksmith. The blacksmith looked at him. "For me? But sir, it's such a good sword! I can help you fix it...if you want."

"It broke when I tested it on a granite block. Keep it if you want. I don't have any need for it."

Kris went back to his room. As he looked at the next weapons, he saw one weapon that caught his eye. The blade was shining, with a brilliance of no normal blade. It looked at as if it was made out of diamond.

However, if that was true...it would be quite heavy.

He looked at the hilt of the weapon. The hilt looked like it was made out of a mixture of gold and a few other metals, while a purple jewel rested on its pommel.

The hilt had extensive carvings on it, along with what Kris thought was the sword's name. "Kataris, eh? Fine name your owner gave you."

Kris swung Kataris. It was light, and felt nearly weightless in his hand. _Hmph, obviously not diamond. Well, then it's just going to break easily, eh?_

He slammed the blade of Kataris onto the granite block. To his surprise, Kataris cut through the granite like it was warm butter. Kris thought he heard a squeal of excitement, but when he looked at his door, there was no one there.

Kris peered out of his door. He saw no one in sight. As he went back into his room, he decided to test it on a lance. The blade severed not the handle, not the rope, but the blade of the lance.

He gazed at his reflection of the blade. This had to be magic-forged, not created by any mere blacksmith. He put it by the door, as he went to sleep.

* * *

Kris went to training, and saw Luke training with Roderick and Cecil. Katarina was practicing rapid casting, destroying and rebuilding dummies at a quick place.

Luke saw Kris, and ran over to him. "Hey, Kris! Good-looking sword you got there! Why don't you use it in a quick practice with me, the Legendary Knight of Altea?"

Kris shrugged. "Alright, then." Luke charged towards Kris, sword blazing. Kris blocked the blow with his sword, and kicked Luke away. Luke clenched his ribs. "That ain't enough do defeat the Luke the Legend!"

Luke attacked again, this time gaining the advantage. He kneed Kris in the chest, slammed the hilt of his sword into Kris's side. Kris, obviously fed up, slammed Kataris onto Luke's sword.

Luke's sword shattered on impact. Kris pointed his sword at Luke. "You may be a legend, but remember: you're not invincible."

The rest of his platoon looked in surprise. Rody tapped Kris's shoulder. "So, who gave you this sword? From what I remember, you weren't that adept at making stuff."

Kris shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. It just kinda showed up in front of my room along with other delivery stuff yesterday night."

Marth came over. "What's the commotion? Hey Kris, how are you doing?"

Cecil said, "King Marth, we're just talking about this blade. It's...so strong!"

Marth held out his hand. "May I try?"

Kris gave Kataris to Marth. "As you wish."

Marth took a silver sword, and threw it up into the air. He then jumped, and to his surprise, the silver sword snapped into half. Marth looked at Kataris in amazement.

"It's just like Falchion...it's so light, yet so powerful. Where did you get this?"

"It was sent as part of some mail for me. I don't believe this was forged by just black smithery. I'm no expert in magic, but I believe that a skilled magic user created this."

Marth thought for a second and smiled. "Kris. I want you to find out who created this sword. It shouldn't be too hard."

Kris looked at him. "What do you mean? Do you know? Is it someone under you who created this?"

Marth shook his head. "I don't exactly have the evidence, but I think I know." A smile crept upon his face. "Anyway, keep on training, alright?"

Kris scratched his head. "Hm...this is quite strange."

* * *

Katarina hurried to Cecil's room. Cecil looked at her. "Katarina, I know it's you who forged the sword. You have exceptional magical skills, and I already know you have a thing for Kris."

Katarina blushed. "A-actually, I meant to tell you now...but I can't he doesn't get it!"

Cecil lay on her pillow. "Yeah, for all his talent, he's actually a bit dull when you think about it."

Katarina said nothing as she brushed her hair. She whispered to herself, wondering how she should explain the situation to Kris. Cecil suddenly clasped her hands.

"Why don't you just create a love potion or spell? Wouldn't that-"

Katarina cut her off, blushing and yelling at the same time. "Cecil! I don't want him to love me just because of some potion! If he's ever going to love me, I want it to be his true feelings, not from my product! I would rather have him to never love me instead of using a spell!"

Cecil laughed. "C'mon, I was just joking. I knew you would never do that, eh?"

Katarina sighed. She would have to tell him about it someday. Or, let him find out. But on the other hand, it was unlikely that he would ever find out though.

* * *

Kris walked down the hallways, and heard some whispers. He opened the room, and saw Katarina crying and whispering in her sleep. "No...please..stop! Stop this!"

Katarina opened her eyes to see Kris beside her. Kris looked at her, concerned. "It's about your past again, right? Before Eremiya?"

Katarina nodded. Kris put his arm around her. "Don't worry. I'll comfort you if you need to. That's what friends are for, eh?"

Katarina smiled. Maybe he finally understood. As she stared into his eyes, and slowly got in closer for a kiss, Kris suddenly asked a question that made her head hurt.

"So, do you know who could be the forger of Kataris? I mean, in our platoon, you're the most skilled at magic. So...any suggestions?"

Katarina sighed. "Kris, are you serious? I mean, you should only have one option now. Who could be that strong to forge such a sword?"

Kris thought about it for a second. "Ah! Merric!"

Katarina slapped him. "I'm talking about me, Kris!"

Kris looked at her in surprise as she cried and yelled at him. "Ever wondered where the name Kataris came from? It's a combination of our names, silly! Why the gemstone is purple? It was modeled after my hair!"

Kris put the pieces together. "I understand now. So, Katarina, you, l-" Katarina nodded. Kris finally understood her feelings now.

"eft for a week to make a sword that resembled you so you could give it to me to remember you? Wow!"

Katarina nearly wanted to explode, but calmed herself down. "Kris...could we not talk about the sword anymore? I'm still scared..."

Kris looked at her. "Katarina, I know that you may still be traumatized, even after the war. I know that you can't forget about it, being treated like trash...but look. Katarina. You have us, the 7th platoon. You have me. If you ever need me, just tell me. I'll be happy to help."

He looked around. "Well, do you need me to stay here for a little longer?"

Katarina shook her head.

Kris heaved his shoulders. "Well, guess I'll be leaving." As he walked out of her room, he suddenly stopped as two arms wrapped themselves across his chest.

Katarina buried her head into his clothes. "I love you, Kris. I don't care whether if you're interested in others or not. I love you."

Kris didn't answer. He was still trying to take this in. Katarina hugged him tighter. "Kris...will you marry me?" Kris didn't reply.

A few tears dropped down from her cheek. She let go of Kris and touched his hand. "Kris...even if you won't marry me...at least, accept this gift."

She got on her tip-toes and softly kissed him on the lips. Then, as she walked over to her bed, she heard Kris's voice. "Wait, Katarina. I will marry you. I had no idea how much you loved me. I'm sorry."

* * *

As Katarina towards the aisle, Kris looked at her in awe. She had never seemed so pretty before. Katarina looked at Kris, dressed in a fancy attire.

Marth was Kris's best man, while Cecil and a few others were Katarina's bridesmaids. Wrys stood at the center, handing the two betrothed a familiar sword.

"Kataris!" Katarina cried out in surprise. Kris smiled. "Let this not be a symbol of our past, or war, but rather, our commitment."

Katarina giggled. "That was so cheesy."

Kris shrugged. "You've got cheesier lines?"

"Just like this sword...this commitment shall never be broken." She giggled. "Ah, what am I saying..."

Wrys called out the magic words. "I pronounce ye man and wife. Ye may now kiss the bride."

(Cue Katarina's love confession) **"I've loved you for so long. I just wish I could have told you sooner."**

* * *

 **And,** **well, that's it! Nobody really made a decent fanfic about Katarina and Kris, so that's why I decided to do that!**


	2. Sparkles

**Katarina's POV:**

As I moved in for the kiss, his body suddenly disappeared in sparkles. "Kris? Kris?!" I ran around, trying to find him. "What...what the hell happened?" I looked at Kataris, the purple sword gleaming in the light.

Marth yelled, "Everybody, please find Kris! Search the entire kingdom if you have to!" And for the entire week, I searched for him, day and night. However, there was no trace of him at all.

I was heartbroken. "Why did this happen...he would never do this. Why did you have to disappear?" I screamed at the sky, my cries echoing across the mountains. Cecil put her hands on my shoulder.

"Katarina...I'm so sorry about it." I looked at her, teary eyed. "You don't have to be. Nobody knew this was going to happen." Luke and Roderick rode over. "No sight of him, Katarina."

I looked at them, and then looked back at the dark sky, and the bright moon, it seeming to be glaring its rays of light right at me. First Legion, then Clarrise, the Eremiya, the Kris...what else could fate throw at me?

I took my horse, and put Kataris back into its sheath. "I suppose I'll head back to my bed. I still have a kingdom to help protect." As I rode back, I thought to myself, _So...am I going to be like this forever? Serving Archanea till the bitter end? Is this...if it is, then so be it. At least I have people who appreciate who I am._

* * *

A few weeks later, I touched Kataris, and looked at the pillow besides my pillow. We had not even officially said our vows yet...so technically, we hadn't even married each other yet.

I looked at the pillow next to mine, wishing he was sleeping next to me, on that very pillow. What that could have been... I shook my head. I shouldn't focus on the past. "All for a better future," words from Marth, and later Kris himself.

Suddenly, I saw him, behind me, smiling, with his arms out, welcoming towards me. Tears filled my eyes. "Kris?" He smiled, and opened his mouth to speak a few words.

"Hey, Katarina. Let's go. All for a better future." I burst into tears, hugging him. "Kris! How could you?! You had me worried for weeks! how could you?" I looked at him, with both anger and happiness in my eyes.

"Hey Katarina...Today's training... is about to begin... Look, there's Prince Marth and the others... Don't... wait for me... ... ..." I frowned at his words. "Kris...what?"

And with that, I realized that I was just hallucinating. Nothing had happened. I had just been fooling myself. "Why..." I looked at the ground. Why...why did this have to happen?

As I practiced with Queen Caeda on our sword fighting skills, she defeated me with two strikes. Noticing something was off, she ran over. "Katarina...what is it? What's bothering you?"

I shook my head. "Nothing in particular. I'm...just not feeling well." Caeda looked at me, her blue eyes shining into my soul. "It's about Kris, isn't it?" I burst into tears again, burying my head in my hands.

The taller woman walked over, allowing me to sob in her arms. "I understand your pain. For a time...I remember Marth nearly dying, and not returning for a week. However, is this what Kris would want? Is that what he would want, for you to never get over his possible death?"

I realized what she was trying to convey. Wiping my tears, I put up a brave face. "You're right, my Queen. Thank you." Caeda shook her head. "No need to thank me. It's always a pleasure to help a friend."

* * *

It had been 5 years since Kris disappeared. Cain, Catria, Palla, and I were called to dispel an attack on what used to be Talys. Marth and Caeda themselves decided to go as well, as they were just about to go there for their anniversary, and apparently did not take the attack well.

As I hung onto Palla, we landed on what that used to be a street. "Wow...what happened here?" The entire block seemed to be blasted with...dark magic. Something I was familiar with.

This seemed to be something other Nosferatu. But it was not Imhulu either. "Hm...I wonder what lies here?" Suddenly, a humanoid-like creature popped out of the ground, and attacked me.

Barely dodging the first strike, I was not so lucky with the second strike. Its blade hit me in the ribs, giving me an ugly diagonal slash across my side. I could hear Cain yelling, as two more of these abominations engaged him in battle.

I pulled out Nosferatu, and chanted, casting the life-draining spell onto the creature. Relief flowed across my body as the spell drained the creature of its energy, rendering it a powerless corpse that it should be.

I examined it. However, as I examined it, I heard another roar, as another one of these brutes charged at me. Not having enough time to react, I cringed, waiting for the end.

However, it never came. Catria jumped down from her pegasus, kicking the brute in the chest, and stabbed its head. "Katarina, focus. We can study them later. I can't focus on you all the time." she said as she yanked her victim's head off.

Marth and Caeda finished off a few, while I cast fire, burning 3 of these monsters into ashes. "Hm...what are these things?" I headed down into the tunnel, apparently created by the attack. There had to someone controlling these monsters, they were just too easy to defeat.

Marth went ahead, and he saw a door. "What...Caeda, have you ever seen this before?" Caeda looked at the mark on it. It was of erratic design, and looked rather sinister.

She shook her head. "I believe that is foreign to Talys. Whatever it is, it looks newly carved. See the design? It still has splinters off it." Cain got off his horse. "Anyway, I say we break it down. HYA!"

He charged towards it, breaking the door down as it connected with his shoulder. He pointed his lance at the darkness. "So, should we enter, my liege?" Marth nodded. "Of course. Katarina, light it up."

Following his orders, I lit a makeshift torch up with my fire tome, and we walked in the darkness. There was nothing in our way, until we saw another door. Marth glanced at Cain. "Cain?"

He charged at it again, breaking it down. The two wars had toughened him up, making many physical feats very easy for him. This time, there was some sort of purple glow coming out, probably dark magic.

A group of people were chanting in front of an altar, as if they were to summon something out of it. Caeda pointed her wing spear at the lot of them. "Who are you people, and how dare you invade Talys?"

They looked toward us, and cackled. "The Creation has been revived once again. Once residing in Valentina, it was destroyed, but only its physical form." Catria scratched her head. "Oooohhh. I remember now. A few years ago, I went to Valentina, and I think I destroyed that thing. Sorry, I do not know why it would still come back."

The cult raised their hands. "Now you weaklings, show me your-" I summoned a fireball and destroyed one of their members, instantly melting him into ashes. The others attacked, and Marth executed one by slashing Falchion up diagonally, another was killed by Caeda who snapped his neck with a kick, and two were run over by Cain and Catria.

The last one, apparently their leader, struggled to get up. "You..will never kill the Creation...he is invincible..." Marth held out his sword. "No weapon except for Falchion?" He laughed, "Yes, no weapon except for Falchion can-that's Falchion, right?"

Marth nodded, letting the sword shine in the darkness. The leader sighed. "Damnit..." and with that, fire erupted under his feet, consuming his ugly form. I held my tome. "This...was easier than expected."

I looked at the glowing light. "Hm...what is this?" Out came some sort of...giant shellfish? I wasn't sure what it was, but I've seen worse than this. The gigantic beast roared at us.

" _I am the Fell Dragon, Grima! None shall stop me! I have been resurrected, and only Falchions can stop me!"_ Marth held out Falchion. "Well, I have one." Grima looked at us. " _Nagadamnit."_

Marth stabbed the beast, and it arched itself, dying. _"As long as humanity survives...I shall return someday..."_ and with that, he disappeared with a pop.

* * *

As we walked out of the tunnel, I looked at something behind us. "Guys...tell me if I'm wrong, but is there a blue hole opening behind us from thin air?" they shook their heads. "I don't see anything..."

I looked back. It was clearly there. "O my Naga...do you guys not see iiiii-" my voice was cut off as some unknown, invisible force sucked me into the portal.

Falling into the very edge of reality, I floated around, and even though I was falling, I felt like I wasn't. Instead, it felt more like everything was moving around me, and I went nowhere.

Grabbing onto my tome, I finally reached the entrance, and fell with a plop, right onto the ground. A young girl with overly-stylish hair helped me up. "Wow! What's your name? You must be very powerful!"

I answered, "I-i'm Katarina. I wanted to become a tactician, but so much for that. But, I still have magic!" I giggled shyly. A boy came over as well. "Oh! Well, thank goodness! We were just out of red mages recently! Welcome to the kingdom of Askr! Basically..."

A few minutes later, he finished explaining the situation to me. "So, Katarina, will you fight for us? People look up to you as a hero in this realm. Will you?" I imagined them...as little children who didn't want their hopes dashed.

Children who wanted to make who they admired happy, who looked up to us heroes...I didn't want them to live a life full of disappointment, like I had when I was young.

"Very well. I will fight for you. So, who is this summoner you mentioned?" Alfonse pointed. "He's over there. He doesn't talk much, but he's a brilliant tactician...I heard that he's the descendant of a famous tactician in his world."

I looked at him. "Well...I'll have to talk to him some time later. I suppose I'll have to go training now." as I went off, I heard something...was it crying? I shook it off. Maybe I had just been crying so much recently I thought I would hear it. But...I could be wrong.

* * *

 **Alright, I just...kinda thought the story shouldn't just end at there. It is a nice little short, but..I felt like I should continue it a bit more. Just tell me what you think in the review section, alright?**


	3. Life

**Katarina's POV**

I asked Sharena, Alfonse, and Anna, "So...what kind of person is your summoner like?" Sharena giggled. "Oh, he's quite possibly the smartest we've ever seen. I heard that from his world, he would be the equivalent to a lower-class noble."

Alfonse added, "Many heroes at first want to heap praise onto him, but...his nature causes them to pull back on their praises. Well...how should I say it...at first glance, you'll probably regard him as an asshole."

Anna lay back. "But, he's actually a real softie. He won't let anyone die, and even if it's painfully obvious that he cares about us, he'll still actively deny it, saying that it's just because he's really good. But...he's a terrible liar."

I was directed towards the training regiment, where the new heroes would start to hone their skills. However, as Alfonse said, there would be an epic rant, that was primarily traditional to the newcomers.

"Alright, listen up, y'all! When I went to the summoning ruins, I asked for a bunch of heroic badasses 5stars who could whip the crap out of even Naga herself, and live to do it again and again. Instead, all I got was a bunch of incompetent fools like y'all and a side order of 1 percent of the heroic badasses I asked for. I can tell by a glance that 50% of you can't live up to your name, and the other 50% of you don't even know what's the meaning of your title! Hell, I bet you don't even know what the HELL you're here, whether you came here to fight by choice or just for your own pleasures! However, I will reorganize the failure of your lives! I will F*CKSTART your souls! I'm gonna take those 2 tier weapons out of your hands, replace them with a 4-5 tier weapon, put you to the arena and make you fight all day till you reek of sweat and disappearing fat and blubber. But fear not! Because, I will show you that this war can be beaten, I will teach you how life should be lived, I will make you throw away your insecurities, I will turn you all, into proud, level 40 masters of GALACTIC DESTRUCTION! IS THAT CLEAR, ALL OF YOU?!"

The new recruits, consisting of Minerva, Leon, Nephenee, and I yelled, "Sir, yes sir!" I sighed. At least there was a familiar face, and that happened to be Minerva. I imagined that Minerva might be a bit relieved to have someone she knew by her side as well.

"DON'T CALL ME SIR, YOU LIL BUNCH OF SISSIES! I AM PROBABLY YOUNGER THAN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, BUT YET, I AM GUIDING YOU ALL! CALL ME SUMMONER, OR KRIS, BUT NEVER SUMMONER KRIS, OR SIR! IT MAKES ME FEEL OLD, AND I AM NOT! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"

I gasped a little as soon as she heard his name. "Kris..." it had been years since we've ever seen each other, but yet...I couldn't let go of him. I hated him for leaving...but I knew that it wasn't his fault, and I believed that I would see him again. But...this person was different. He had a much different demeanor...but maybe he was still the same guy. After all, his hood covered his face, disallowing me from being able to see his face. Was he purposely trying to hide it?

We all yelled, "UNDERSTOOD, SUMMONER!"

Kris roared, "Alright, get to training. YOU WILL FIGHT AGAINST ENEMIES AT AT LEAST ONE LEVEL HIGHER THAN YOUR CURRENT LEVEL AT THE START OF THE BATTLE TIL YOU'RE LEVEL 40! IF I SEE ANY OF YOU NOT DOING SO, YOU WILL WASH DISHES FOR THE NIGHT! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"UNDERSTOOD, SUMMONER!"

After a few hours of training, I approached him. "Kris..." "What is it, Katarina?" instead of the usual roars that he had displayed this morning, his voice had more of a relaxed, calculating tone to it.

"May...I see your face under your hood? I'm sorry for requesting something so weird...has anyone else seen it before?" Without a word, he pulled his hood down, revealing his face.

I gasped, at his handsomeness. He had a dark skin tone, though it was only dark yellow, I suppose. His face was decorated with slanted, sharp, eyes, and a face that was slightly reminiscent of a V. His hair was black, and it flowed down to his earlobes, giving off a wavy presence.

"Satisfied?" he said, pulling his hood back on. I nervously nodded. "Y-yes. I suppose..I'll get back to training." "Good, then."

A few hours later, I sat down, for dinner. In Askr, there were many forts, and many heroes were sent off to different forts to guard them from Embla. They would fight, and train pretty much everyday. In return, they gained much praise and respect from the people, and had many privileges as well, as long as they did not behave badly.

I was set in Fort Bregentved, where the summoner also happened to be. As I took my dinner, consisting of chicken soup and a pie in which birds flew out of, I sat down at a table, all alone.

Minerva wasn't here, and none of my Archanean friends were here as well. When I had asked Anna if there was a hero named Kris, she shook her head, saying that unless if I was referring to the summoner, then no.

I heard someone sit beside me, and I turnt my head. It was the summoner. I frowned at him, wondering why he didn't sit with anyone else. Then I remember Alfonse's words. Yeah...I suppose that many thought of him as an asshole, and there weren't any other tables that weren't as isolated as mine. "So...what inspired you to be a tactician? What are your goals?"

Kris turnt his head, looking at me. Apparently, he wasn't used to people starting a conversation with him. He replied, "I was never inspired to be a tactician. I was dragged here by an unknown forces; I wasn't here by choice. However...apparently I have inherited my ancestor's skills as a extremely competent tactician. However, any idiot can do the things that I did. I must prove myself capable of matching him, or being better than him. That is my goal."

I wondered what his ancestor was like. "Er...then who was he? What was he like? Could you tell me about one of his achievements?" I could feel a bit of a smile creep onto his face. As he didn't have much conversations with too many heroes, it appeared that he was actually...a bit happy about the fact that someone would want to start a conversation with him.

"His name was Zhou Yu, a brilliant tactician. However, he was not only skillful in the ways of strategy in the battlefield, he was also a manipulator of relationships. And sadly, I must admit I have not yet began to grasp the art of trickery yet. But anyway, one of his most famous exploits was when he was to attack he enemy at sea, he knew of a college friend who happened to be visiting by, who also had some ties with the enemy warlord. So when he came over, Zhou Yu purposely pretended that he was drunk, and let him steal a fake letter that was supposed to be written the enemy warlord's 2 best navy generals, to assassinate the warlord. Tricked by the letter, his college friend gave it to the enemy warlord, and the enemy warlord promptly executed these two, and later on, he won most of the navy battles against that warlord."

"He sounds like he was a very clever man indeed! But, are you sure of using deception? I'm not sure if I see of you as a manipulator, nor would the people want to see you as a manipulator either. You're...a symbol of hope to the people." I said with a smile.

Kris just glanced at me. "A symbol of hope?" he growled, spite in his voice. "The heroes are better suited for being a symbol of hope. Look at them. Tough, strong, handsome, brilliant in many aspects. Who am I to compare? I only have looks and smarts, some which some heroes may possess even more than me. Let them be the hero. If it wasn't for my power to use the Briedabilik, I doubt I would still be here."

I giggled at him. "But...you're still here, right? That still accounts for something, correct?" He sighed. "I suppose you're correct...but I suppose, I cannot turn my back on these people yet. No matter how hard I try to push off the praise, people will still see me as a symbol of hope. I suppose that fate is rather odd to choose a wretch like me..."

Wondering why he had such a cynical view, I asked him, "So...why do you plan on ending the war? If i remember correctly, this isn't even your world. Why do you still choose to interfere?"

He replied: "Because...they want me to. And I don't want to disappoint them, because they all view me as this oh-so-great tactician, who'll never let a single unit die just to get victory."

I shook my head. "You didn't exactly answer my question. I asked about you, not them." He glared at me. "Honestly, I don't gave a single damn about this war. I'm just sick of disappointing people in my entire life. Besides, what good is winning a war, if I can't even..." he started to choke on his words.

"Sorry, I must go." With that, he left, leaving me at my table. I resumed eating my meal. Well...at least it was an interesting conversation, even though he was very cynical.

* * *

As I got prepared for bed, I went outside, hearing a beautiful voice. It definitely wasn't Azura's or Shigure's. It had a brasher tone to it, at the same time, a depressed voice behind it.

"The mysteries of it I recall, suddenly the truth will change the way we fall, I didn't want to hurt you hope you know, empty promises, shatter dreams of love..." I looked at Kris, who had stopped singing. "Was that-"

"Yes. I hope I didn't destroy your ears." I shook my head. "Kris, that was beautiful. You-"

He shushed me, putting a finger to my lips, like...my Kris would often do. "Please, forget that this happened." he then returned to his room, while I stared at him. I felt a strange connection to him, like I desperately wanted to help him. I wondered about the other heroes, whether if they would want to help hem as well. Nay, I shook my head. Probably not.

As I walked into my room, I noticed one of the only things that I had left of Kris. Kata...I picked up the dark blade, and took its twin, Ris. At first, while he was still here, I had kept them as one, as Kataris. After he left...I had separated them. I could have put them back by connecting them by the butt of their hilts, creating a double-bladed sword, or put them together to become its original form again, but I never bothered.

I held them up in the air, looking at the creation that I had made for him. It belonged to the two of us, and besides aesthetics, it was very dangerous as well. I tossed the swords out of the window, only for them to return after they began to decline. Brimming with dark magic and forged with diamonds, it was designed to target the lower of an enemy's defenses. I had wanted Kris to use it to its full potential, to be proud of me, but he had disappeared before he could use it.

I swung the two blades around, battling with the shadow that was my consciousness. I then stopped, looking at those two. They may very well be the strongest weapons in Archanea...but without Kris, what was the meaning of using it? This was designed just for him.

I put my hands to my head, and returned to my bed, going to sleep. Before I succumbed to sleep's embrace, I noticed an C, glowing on my chest. Brushing the thought aside, I fell asleep.


	4. Confess

**Katarina's POV:**

I woke up, and started to fix my hair. As I checked it, I realized it was getting a bit long. Taking out Ris, I began to slice off the parts that were too long, to keep my hair in the length I liked, which was only down to my cheeks.

As I dressed up, I noticed a C badge on my chest. It was glowing, but I didn't know what was its notability. As I checked my overall strength, I realized that there was something peculiar. It was that I had gained 2 points of resistance, and a bit more HP. Was it because of this badge? Maybe.

Walking out of my room, I headed to the eating hall, where I once again sat besides the summoner himself. As I seated right at him, he looked at me curiously, his sad yet stern eyes peering at me, but disclosing nothing at all.

While eating, I thought of Kris, and the happy moments I spent as his fiancé. They were tender, happy, but...it felt so short. I didn't know why, but even after 5 years, I still felt a bit unhappy about him. Marth often said that wounds and scars would eventually fade...but this one never did.

After the dragon Medeus was defeated a second time, and peace was brought to the continent, I started to become stronger, both mentally and magically. With Kris by my side always, I stuttered less, and even after he passed away, I kept on going, for his sake, as that would what he would wish for, for me to become stronger.

I wiped away my tears, wondering why I was having thoughts such as these. It had already been 5 years. Wasn't it time for me to forget? But yet...I didn't want to forget.

My thoughts were interrupted by the voice of my summoner. "Excuse me...but is something disturbing you?" I nervously tried to cover it up, stuttering once more, even though I rarely did. "N-nothing, S-summoner Kris!"

He turned his head away. "Oh. I hope so." I frowned as his words. He hoped that nothing...I waved it off. He was a strange individual after all; it would not be surprising for him to speak in strange ways either.

"By the way, Summoner Kris. What is this...C badge on my chest? Is this the reason why I have extra HP and extra resistance?" Kris kept eating. "Yeah," he replied bluntly. "It's just my blessing."

Regarding the event strange, I asked him, "Why me? Why not any other unit besides me? I'm not the strongest mage around." He turned to look at me. "That's where you're wrong. Everyone can become a strong unit, with a few exceptions such as Odin."

I giggled a bit at his cold humor, but then returned to my serious face. "By the way-" He got up. "Sorry. I have units to train up, and you happen to be one of them. We may talk later, Katarina, but right now we must focus on training."

I nodded, and followed him.

* * *

 **Kris's POV:**

I had a more mellow mood today, opposed to my usual brash tone and upheaving voice. I silently watched the recruits as they took out enemies, and gained levels and XP.

Every time they got a level up, they would report to me, showing me the results. As Katarina approached me, I took a step forward to see the stats gained. As soon as I took that little step, she flinched, probably out of pure instinct, as she only had her SP increased.

I stopped myself in shock, and out of pure nostalgia. To think that...she would still react like that...it saddened me. That I couldn't be there for her all these 5 years, and even angrier at myself for being such a coward to not reveal that I was him.

But why do such a thing? She would think me crazy, or even worse, she might already hate me for disappearing five years ago, not that I had a choice. While I was in the world of mystery, I was dragged back by my parents, who had somehow found the portal to there. Then, they destroyed the portal, leaving me unable to return to the world of mystery till I found the portal to the world of zenith.

How I found these portals was surprisingly easy for me. Rather, I didn't exactly find them. They found me instead, maybe having some kind of weird connection to me. The point was, I was now here.

As we both stared at each other, I looked at Katarina, slowly approaching level 40. She would be complied to say that I was Kris...and she wouldn't be wrong...but would she be doing this on purpose? Would she be truly saying it, or just forced to say the words due to the power of the Briedabilik?

I had so many questions running through my head, but one emotion dictated and took control in my head: sadness. I was angry with myself for not being able to protect her, to cure her of the pain that Eremiya had inflicted onto her. I didn't want to face her like this.

Holding up my hand, I walked over to the restroom, choking on words that weren't meant to be spoken, and washing my sweaty face with cold water, over and over. As I completed the deed, I headed back to the training grounds to oversee their training.

* * *

 **Katarina's POV:**

I fired Rauroblade right onto a lancer, killing him despite the color disadvantage. Heading onto the next enemy, I realized that it was a Fir, and I would have trouble defeating this opponent.

As I fired off a round of Rauroblade right onto her, she absorbed the blow, and ran at me, Nameless blade flashing. I flinched as her blade came down, until I felt something at my hand. It was the combined form of Kata and Ris, Kataris.

I gazed at it, wondering how it got here. Had it sensed my danger, and come to my aid? Maybe. Maybe not. The point was, I had it now...but I barely knew how to use it.

Swinging it towards the swordswoman, she dodged the blow, and jumped back, preparing for my next attack. Throwing the sword at her, she immediately dodged it, only for it to come back to my hand.

As it returned to my grasp, the blade slammed into her back, knocking her down to the floor. I placed the sword in my hand, still a bit confused on how I could use it. Fir then attacked once more, activating glacies. "The path of the sword!"

Striking me down with one blow, everything in my world went dark.

* * *

Waking up to a bed underneath me, I rubbed my eyes, trying to get a picture of what was happening. Surprisingly, the summoner was by my side. "S-sorry, everyone. I think I messed up."

The others smiled. "Nah, it's fine. everybody makes mistakes once in a while." I got up, and coughed a little. "Where's...the sword?" Leon pointed to the side of the bed. "It's over there. Gah...that thing was heavy. How did you even manage to lift it?"

I smiled. "I...don't know, honestly. It seemed pretty light if you ask me." As I got up, I noticed the summoner. He looked like as if he was extra tired today, stressed out.

He was pressing into his Breidabilik, and took out some crystals, murmuring some phrases. As he finished chanting, a bright light enveloped me, as he leveled me up to level 40.

I was forced to say, "In my world, there was someone very dear to me. You've always reminded me of that person. That person was like a Hero to me but is neither in this world or that one. So I did some reading about other worlds here, and I came to a curious conclusion. You are that person. I know...I know... It makes no sense. Perhaps it's even unsettling to hear such a thing! Whether I am wrong or you simply don't recall those days, I pledge my service to you fully. I'm not sure I'm always the most competent person in your group, but I will always give you my best!"

He didn't say anything, and I wondered if he was actually upset, or something. Instead, he got up, still saying nothing, and placed his foot on the bed, leaning in closer to me. "Did you really mean that?"

I didn't exactly know what to say. He was a bit like Kris...but it seemed like, he was Kris with a different tone. "Yes...and no." What did he mean by this? Was he really...?

He leaned in closer. "Katarina...sorry for not saying this earlier. But you're right."


End file.
